Kiwis keep Spain at bay, secure point

New Zealand fought back from two goals down to hold Spain to a 2-2 draw in their penultimate Pool A match and qualify for the knock-out stages of the men's hockey World Cup here on Thursday.

Spain scored two field goals in the opening two quarters through Albert Beltran (9th minute) and Alvaro Iglesias (27th) to go into the halfway break with a comfortable 2-0 lead.

But the Black Sticks made a stupendous comeback in the final 10 minutes of the game and scored through Hayden Phillips (50th) and Kane Russell (56th) to share the spoils and secure their place in the cross-over round of the tournament.

It was Spain who struck first when Beltran scored from a through ball from Pau Quemada. Thereafter both the teams made a couple of good moves but they lacked the final touch inside the box. Spain extended their lead in the 27th minute when Iglesias scored from close range in the midst of a crowd of Black Sticks from a Ricardo Santana feed.

After an uneventful third quarter, NZ pulled a goal back in the 50th minute through Phillips, who received a pass from Inglis on the left side and took his time to smash it into the roof of the net. Pumped by the goal, New Zealand went all out in search of the equaliser and four minutes away from the final hooter their efforts bore fruit when Russell found the back of the net from Black Sticks' only penalty corner of the match.